The document outlines career development strategies for software developers, emphasizing the importance of visibility and curation of work. It details a typical hiring process and provides tips for cold emailing hiring managers and navigating job interviews, including handling salary discussions. Additionally, it encourages proactive engagement and networking to improve job prospects.

1. CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR
CAREER DEVELOPERS
PATRICK MCKENZIE

2. BOARD MEETING
KALZUMEUS
SOFTWARE

3. A BLOG POST
MOST USEFUL THING I SHIPPED IN 12
YEARS AS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

4. THREE STAGES

5. “LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR
FUTURE WITH THE COMPANY.”
SCARIEST WORDS IN ANY LANGUAGE

6. JUST WATCH BRANDON HAYS’ TALK FROM KEEP RUBY WEIRD 2015.
A BRIEF TAXONOMY OF DEV CAREER PATHS
▸ Go broad : Senior engineer -> Software architect
▸ Go deep : Senior engineer -> Staff Engineer
▸ Go management : Team Lead -> CTO
▸ Go lateral : Growth Team / Risk / Ops
▸ Go business : Consultant / Founder

7. ASIDE: WHERE
SHOULD I WORK?

8. THREE RULES

9. WORK WHERE PEOPLE
CAN SEE YOU.

10. SOFTWARE
ENGINEER
NOT GREAT VISIBILITY

11. DEVELOPER
EVANGELIST
KEITH CASEY

12. WORK ON SOMETHING
YOU CAN SHOW.

13. GITHUB IS
OVERRATED.

16. YOU CAN READ THE STRONGEST
ATTACK ON DR WRIGHT IN THIS
POST ON GITHUB
THE BBC
THANKS FOR DOING THAT HIGHLY TECHNICAL ORIGINAL REPORTING

17. “I GAVE ONE RATHER MEDIOCRE
TALK AT A REGIONAL TECH
CONFERENCE …AS A DIRECT
RESULT I NOW WORK AT TWITTER.”

18. CURATE YOUR BEST WORK
ON YOUR OWN PLATFORM.

19. WORK ON SOMETHING
YOU CAN KEEP.

20. A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE
“TYPICAL” HIRING
PROCESS

21. FAIRLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE
OUR STANDARD HIRING PROCESS
▸ Resume screening
▸ Phone screen (non-technical)
▸ Programming screen (technical)
▸ On-site
▸ Interview #1
▸ Interview #2
▸ Interview #3
▸ Lunch With Team
▸ CEO Interview
▸ Decision

22. YOU SHOULD AVOID
THIS PROCESS.

23. TO PREVENT ENGINEERS
FROM GETTING JOBS
WHY THAT PROCESS?

25. NON-TECHNICAL HEADS OF
RECRUITING WILL SCREEN OUT
DONALD KNUTH FOR INSUFFICIENT
KNOWLEDGE OF C.

26. ENGINEERS ARE MOST MARKETABLE FOR
THE THINGS THEY ARE ALREADY DOING;
THIS IS GENERALLY WHAT THEY LEAST
WANT TO DO AT A NEW JOB.
Dillon Forrest
ONE OF SMARTEST THINGS I’VE EVER HEARD ABOUT CAREER PLANNING

27. COLD EMAIL OUTREACH TO
A HIRING MANAGER DOES
THEM A FAVOR.

28. WHAT A GOOD COLD EMAIL CONTAINS
▸ A real human clearly sending one-on-one email.
▸ Demonstrated value you’d bring to a conversation.
▸ An explicit ask for what you want.

29. I’M STUDYING CS AT $UNIVERSITY. YOUR
COMPANY CHAIONE IS DOING SOME REALLY
COOL THINGS THAT I AM INTERESTED, I
WONDER IF WE WOULD HAVE THE CHANCE TO
TALK.
Did Not Get A Job Interview

30. I WATCHED YOUR PRESENTATION ON
PRODUCTIZING TWILIO APPS. GREAT STUFF
— I WROTE ABOUT IT HERE. CAN WE TALK
FOR 15 MINUTES ON TUESDAY ABOUT WHAT
STARFIGHTER IS DOING THESE DAYS?
A Much Better Cold Pitch

31. THE BEST COLD
EMAIL ISN’T.

32. MISSION: UPGRADE EARLY COLD CONTACT TO WARM INTERNAL REFERRAL
AGENDA FOR COFFEE DATE OR SKYPE CALL
▸ Demonstrate you’re not an axe murderer.
▸ Listen about what the company is doing.
▸ Give evidence that you’d be interesting to work with.
▸ Do recon on what their hiring process is.
▸ Ask explicitly for them to get the ball rolling for you.

33. ENTERPRISE SALES 101:
TALK ONLY TO PEOPLE
WHO CAN SAY YES.

34. CONDUCTING YOURSELF AT A JOB INTERVIEW
▸ You should know their format cold before you go in. Ask.
▸ Coding tests: answer correctly and concisely then refine.
▸ The job interview is about their needs, not your skills.
▸ Demonstrate enthusiasm and engagement with the mission.
▸ Do not negotiate until you have achieved Yes-If.

35. JOB INTERVIEWS
ARE TERRIBLE.

36. DODGING THE DREADED
SALARY QUESTION.

37. TRY ONE OR MORE OF THESE ON FOR SIZE
CLASSIC DODGES THAT OFTEN WORK ON SALARY QUESTION
▸ Defer: “I want to make sure we’re a good fit first.”
▸ Redirect: “I’d like this job to be a big step forward for me in
terms of responsibility, impact, and salary.”
▸ Invert: “You’d know better than me. I just want to do great
work and know you’ll treat me fairly.”
▸ Consider: “It would depend on the full context of the offer.”
▸ Range: “It sounds like you’re trying to qualify me for a range.
If you tell me it, I’ll tell you if we’re in the ballpark.”

38. ROLEPLAY THIS WITH
YOUR FRIENDS.

39. IMPLEMENT A
COMMITMENT STRATEGY.

40. TRADE FOR WHAT
YOU WANT.

41. I LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS STUFF. CAN I HELP YOU?
▸ patrick@starfighters.io or @patio11
▸ https://www.stockfighter.io <— If you like the Twilio API, you will
enjoy playing with this.
▸ https://www.starfighters.io <— We can help you hire pre-vetted,
extremely talented engineers.
▸ You absolutely cannot waste my time by talking to me or reaching
out. This is my vocation and my passion.
▸ Shoutout to Josh Doody’s Fearless Salary Negotiation. Buy a copy
(or get one from us).

42. PERSONAL NOTE

43. FRANZ APOSTOL
IN MEMORIAM

44. BECAUSE IF SOFTWARE PEOPLE DON’T RESPECT COPYRIGHT THEN WHO WILL?
PHOTO CREDITS
▸ Cubicles: (CC) https://flic.kr/p/7yV6B3
▸ Keith Casey: Silicon Hill (nominative use) http://
www.siliconhillsnews.com/2014/01/23/keith-casey-
developer-evangelism-has-been-both-the-best-and-worst-
job-in-my-career/
▸ Barbed wire: BBC (CC-BY-A) https://flic.kr/p/kYhdCi
▸ Franz Apostol: Keith Perhac